Sky's Still Blue
by shawn-n-belle
Summary: Hanna and Emily find something, or rather-someone else in the Kahn's cabin that night. Turns out, in Rosewood death is just a five letter word, and –A- certainly isn't playing scrabble.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Sky's Still Blue

Summary: Hanna and Emily find something, or rather_-someone_ else in the Kahn's cabin that night. Turns out, in Rosewood death is just a five letter word, and this –A- certainly isn't playing scrabble.

Pairing: Emily/Maya, implied Hanna/Caleb, Aria/Ezra and Spencer/Toby

**Author's Note:** Just a little something that came to me watching 3.10. This story might not be updated as often due to scheduling conflicts but I'll try to be consistent with it. Also, can I for one, just say that I don't think that Maya is dead. But I guess we'll see. Enjoy the fic!

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"Look, Em. There's another door," Hanna points out to the wooden frame behind the dusty old bookshelf. There is many things about the Kahn's cabin that Emily Fields did not quite understand; like, why there was a pink bra hanging from the chandelier, why no one seemed concerned enough to clean up after their rounds of beer pong that night, or why in every room, there has to be at least three stuffed animal heads on the wall, _staring_ at her. And this secret door, hidden away in the back of a room behind shelves, is just another secret that Emily doesn't understand.

But as of late, Emily has given up making sense of most things. Like why -A- is targeting them, who -A- even _is, _and why her girlfriend had to die. Her life has been nothing been a series of unexplainable events that has done nothing but hurt her and all the people that she has cared about, and took the life of the only woman she had ever _truly_ loved. A part of her wants to grasp it all, to make sense of Maya's death and all the other events that surround her daily life, but she knows that to do that, she has to be as twisted as the person controlling their lives from texts on their cellphones. And if that is the case, she never, ever wants to understand.

Things have been better as of late though, Emily sighs as she approaches the door. That was, until Maya's letter surfaced and she realized that she had been killed trying to tell _her_ something. Lately, things have been _good_, like, really good. Her swims have been fantastic; she has never finished anything _but_ in first place. Her schoolwork is improving; in fact, she even got an A on her last Bio quiz. Even her relationship with Paige has been smooth sailing, well, at least for the most part. But like always, -A- never wants her to be happy for long and when Maya's website, much like her letter, surfaced, Emily found herself in that same distraught, grieving place that she was in before.

"Let's move it," Hanna instructs and a part of Emily wants to laugh because Hanna is just so tiny and prissy, the thought of her actually doing work that might end up with her hands and clothes getting dirty just amuses her. But then there is another part, a bigger part, that can't help but feel fortunate to have such a friend like this, someone who wants to solve the death of her girlfriend just as much as she does. Even if it is somewhat for her own personal gain as well.

Nodding her head in agreement, Emily grabs hold of the edge of the shelf and begins pushing with all of her might. Whatever is behind this door is something they didn't want people to see, and whatever is behind this door might have some sort of answer as to what _exactly_ Maya was doing up here. Grunting and groaning in a struggle, both the girls push with all their might, the shelve moving slowly at their efforts.

They push, and push, and _push_ until the thing finally budges out of the way, much to the relief of the two exhausted girls. Sighing in relief, Emily wipes the sweat from her forehead, looking at her best friend who looks just as spent as she does. Sharing a tender gaze, the two girls understand exactly what is about to happen, they know just how much their life could change from the opening of the door. Whatever is behind this door could contain a very important clue about _whom_ -A- is and exactly what she/he wants from them. Whatever is behind this door could save them or kill them. But as far as Hanna is concerned the risk is worth the reward.

"On three?" Hanna asks, looking at the raven haired beauty for reassurance. Sucking in a breath, Emily nervously fidgets with her fingers, glancing at the door before her eyes dart back to Hanna standing anxiously in front of her before she nods her head.

"On three," Emily replies with a nervous lump in her throat. The two friends share another soft gaze with one another, knowing _this_ moment could perhaps be the one they have waited for since the day of Ali's funeral. They look at each other apprehensively, and then, a soft smile curls upon Hanna's lips, winking at the swimmer. It takes all the strength in Emily to force the smile back at her. Even if whatever is behind this door brings Caleb back to Hanna, it would never bring Maya back to Emily, and that is a bitter pill she has to swallow.

Hanna grabs the knob, pushing her shoulder into the door to open it with a grunt, shoving it open. Instantly, a cloud of dust surrounds the two girls, they cough loudly, a rattle in their chests. Coughing, Hanna swats at the dust and dirt with one hand, the other clutching to Emily's with dear life. Thwacking at the dust, the girls enter the dark room, squinting at the sudden adjustment from daylight to black darkness.

"There has to be a light around here somewhere," Hanna grumbles, holding onto Emily's hand so tight that the raven haired woman swears that she has lost all circulation to it at this point, "we don't know how clean this stuff is, I don't need to fall and break something, or cut myself and end up with like, a freakin' infection." The blonde complains, nervously searching for the switch.

But there is something else that catches Emily's attention, other than the black darkness in the mystery room. It is the ping that she is feeling in her heart, the thousand strings that seem to be pulling her into this place of the unknown. There is something _here_, something that gives her purpose. There is something here that makes her feel comfortable, easy, the same way that Maya had. Wrinkling her brow, she takes another complacent step in the room, listening to the surroundings. She listens to Hanna's hushed mumbles as she searches for a switch, the sound of her own shuffling feet as they step on stuff, but there is another sound, a soft rattle, almost like a whine, that she just cannot place.

"Han, I think… I think we s-should leave," Emily stutters, giving the blonde a reassuring squeeze.

"Ha! Found it!" Hanna exclaims proudly, pulling hard on the string as a bright fluorescent light cascades throughout the darkened room. Instantly, the two girls screech in pain, their eyes squinting as the try to adjust to the room. Blinking hard, Emily slowly opens her eyes and what she sees is just enough to break her heart completely.

"M-Maya," Emily cries.

In front of them sits the medically declared dead girl, her hands tied behind her back and a gag in her mouth. God only knows how long she has been like this, but Emily can tell it has been a while. She looks remarkably thin and her clothes are dingy and dirty, her face marked with a rather large scratch on her temple that has now dried with blood. Stumbling back, Emily can feel the blood drain from her face as she looks at the woman who only looks back at her pleadingly, tears in her eyes.

"No, you're… you're dead," Emily cries, looking at her then over at Hanna who seems just as stricken by the sight as Emily. Staggering, the raven haired beauty can hear the heart wrenching cry that escapes from her lips and she can feel her own knees buckling beneath her. This _can't_ be. She was _there_. She was there when the cops discovered Maya's body, she was fucking _there_. Maya was dead. As heart breaking and destroying as that had been she had _accepted_ it and started to move on from it. She had _died_.

"I was there… the cops discovered your body and my mom told me…I… I was there. You are dead. This can't be…" Emily gasps loudly, staring at the young woman who stares back at her with pleading eyes that are filled with tears. Shaking her head, Emily only stares, her heart leaping in her throat and her stomach twisting in knots. Maya whimpers, moving her body slightly in the chair and it just enough to break Emily's heart completely.

Getting over Maya's death was the hardest thing that Emily Fields has ever had to deal with, and suddenly, realizing that she had not been dead at all, brings a whole new level of sorrow and sadness rushing through her veins.

"God, let me help you," Hanna exclaims, releasing Emily's hand as she approaches Maya. The two share an all-knowing gaze before she removes the gag from her mouth, placing the bandana simply around her neck before leaning down to work on her hands.

"Emily," Maya breathes in a husky voice. It sounds like she has screamed and cried for days and Emily can't help but wonder if she _had_ been screaming for days. Screaming for someone to help her, to save her but no one lives around here for miles. God, how could she _not_ have known? Swallowing hard, the tears begin to cascade down Emily's cheeks as she slowly approaches the girl, their eyes locked together, watching each other carefully, as if they are two loves who have been separated for years and have finally been reunited with one another.

"I thought…" Maya croaks, wincing at Hanna's attempts to untie her, "I thought I'd never… see you again." She whispers in a sniffle and Emily swears that her heart breaks deeper in her chest. Her lips are quivering when she comes to a stand in front of Maya and she reaches her hand out shakily. Trembling, she softly caresses Maya's cheek and the butterflies suddenly begin to flutter wildly in her stomach.

This is _real_. This is not some hallucination, or a dream, or a made up reality that is meant to help get her through the ordeal. This is _reality_. Maya is really sitting in front of her, scratched and hurt, but _alive_. She is not buried six feet under the ground and left to be a simple memory through photographs and old clothes. This is _really_ happening, right here and now. And the more Emily tries to comprehend it, the more she tries to make _sense_ of it, the more confused she only gets.

"Maya," Emily's voice cracks as her thumb brushes her lover's cheek softly. With another successful tug, Hanna frees her from the knots with a proud 'HA'. Almost immediately, Maya jolts from the seat, her arms wrapping around Emily in the tightest, bone crushing hug, squeezing her so firmly that Emily swears for a second, her lung collapses.

It is as natural as ever when Emily's arms wrap around the smaller girl, holding her close. Through her shirt, she can feel Maya's heart beating, _strongly_ and it is enough to steal Emily's breath away. Slowly, she pulls away, their faces so tenderly close to one another. So close, in fact, that Emily can feel Maya's breath against her lips.

Then it happens, in an instant, in a heartbeat, in the blink of an eye. Maya's lips are on hers and she is kissing her, like _really_ kissing her. For a second, Emily wants to stop, she wants to stop and say something, come to a recollection of what they are doing, but she just can't. Maya's mouth opens against her lips, her hands roaming her body, squeezing against her and pulling her into her hard. It is like the clocks around the world are running backward when their lips meet, as if time just _stops_. So long Emily has dreamed of this moment, of kissing Maya again, of holding her again, that now that the moment is actually _here_, she finds herself so lost in her that she can't take a moment to remember it.

Loving Maya is so easy, Emily sighs, her body leaning against hers as she kisses her deeply. Whether they spent every second together, or they have been apart for months, or even if something like this happens, Emily Fields always has been and always will be forevermore in love with Maya St. Germain.

"You have to get out of here," Maya whispers, pulling out of the kiss, her eyes looking deep into Emily's. Pam had always told her that the eyes are a window into someone's soul, well, if that is the case, Maya's soul is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life, "the two of you, you have to go. She'll be back, she… she always comes back and you have… you have to go." At this, Emily shakes her head vigorously, her eyes darting from Maya to Hanna who seemingly has the same reaction.

"I'm not leaving you again," Emily declares.

"Who is she? _Who_ has you here, Maya?" Hanna intrigues and Maya shakes her head, sulking softly. In all the time Emily has known her, Maya has always been so incredibly fearless. She had been the one who smoked even with her parents downstairs, the one who snuck over to her house in the middle of the night just to have a sleepover, the one who jumped without even looking. But suddenly, Maya seems so withdrawn, frightened, _terrified_.

"You have to go. If she finds you here… you're not safe," Maya whispers, stepping back from Emily as the tears fall effortlessly down her cheeks, "pl-please, I can't have something happen to you, Emily. I love you, don't you know that?" She hiccups in a cry, taking another step back but the raven haired woman shakes her head, squaring her jaw in determination.

"I lost you twice. I thought you... They told us you were…. That you were…" Emily stutters, her voice breaking but she quickly bats away the tears with a hard swallow, "It was hell for me thinking that, thinking that you were dead and that it was my entire fault. I nearly drank myself to death and if it wasn't for my friends, I probably would have. I am not losing you again, Maya. I am not leaving without you."

"Emily, you don't understand…"

"I do understand. You're scared and I'm terrified and Hanna is terrified and we're all totally freaking out because you were supposed to be dead. But y-you're not and I'm not leaving here without you. I'm not doing this to us again, don't you understand? You're in danger and I'm not abandoning you!" Emily exclaims loudly, grabbing Maya by the hand and pulling her hard into her. Gently, her thumb brushes across the gash before she smiles softly, "you came back to me, Maya."

"Emily, we have to get her out of here," Hanna states, glancing around the room, "it's going to be dark soon and who knows when her kidnapper will show up. And maybe it'll think it can have three for the price of one." The blonde grouses as she tucks a strand of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear, her eyes glancing between the two lovers.

"Let me rescue you, Maya. You… you are always saving me. Even when I thought you were…." Emily swallows hard, looking away with a heavy sigh. What is she supposed to say? That she thought she was dead so she moved on to Paige McCullers, the one who tried to drown her. God, _Paige_, Emily groans with a heavy sigh. How was she going to break this to her? A pair of arms squeezes around Emily's back and she glances at her lover with gentle eyes, a smile playing upon her lips.

"Come with me," Emily pleads and Maya sighs heavily, looking over at Hanna who nods her head just as enthusiastically. Biting her lip hard, the smaller girl sniffles, looking around the room with a heavy sigh. Rosewood is a strange place, but this is certainly as strange as it gets.

"She'll come after you," Maya replies in a hushed whisper with big eyes, "it's why I…" Oh _God_, Emily swallows hard, a new cry appearing in the back of her throat. It was her fault, _her _fault Maya was kidnapped, _her_ fault that all of this happened. –A- was coming for her and Maya _saved_ her.

"We can tell with -A-," Hanna speaks up, stepping closer to her friend, her eyes full of compassion and empathy. At her friend's response, Emily nods her head, squeezing Maya a little tighter in her arms.

"I can't lose you again. _Please_," Emily begs, resting her thumb under Maya's chin as she pulls her into a soft kiss. Their bodies curl around one another's, the world seeming to come to a slow _stop_ as she slowly inhales her lover. Kissing Maya is like traveling back in time, it is the _best_ feeling, and nothing, not even kissing Paige, could ever compare to _this_. Pulling away softly, Maya inhales a deep breath, looking around the room reluctantly before she nods her head.

"Let's get out of here," Maya nods her head, releasing Emily's hand as she walks over to the window seat box, grabbing her bag from within it. Smiling softly, she reaches for the swimming superstar's hand, their fingers instantly lacing. They were a perfect fit, no spaces, no gaps, just skin against skin; it became a perfect example of exactly _why_ they are soul mates.

"I will keep you safe, I promise," Emily whispers, kissing her temple softly as she takes Maya's bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Maya nods, wrapping her arm around Emily, walking snuggled into her side as they exit the Kahn's cabin. Quietly, Maya licks her cracked lips as she glances back at the place in which she had been held captive for the past months, her heart hanging heavily in her chest.

As Emily opens the door for her to climb in, Maya can't help but stare at the cabin, cuddling herself in tighter to her girlfriend's side, her body weak from the exhaustion. Emily smiles lovingly, placing another tender kiss on her temple as she climbs into the seat beside of her, her arms holding her tight and safe around her.

However, despite Emily's arms around her, she feels _anything_ but safe.

Rosewood, Pennsylvania is a _very_ strange place.

And Maya St. Germain cannot help but feel like they just woke a sleeping giant.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Sky's Still Blue

Summary: Hanna and Emily find something, or rather_-someone_ else in the Kahn's cabin that night. Turns out, in Rosewood death is just a five letter word, and this –A- certainly isn't playing scrabble.

Pairing: Emily/Maya, implied Hanna/Caleb, Aria/Ezra and Spencer/Toby

**Author's Note: **Wow! I was not expecting such great feedback for this story! Thank you guys so much, I am seriously floored. I hope I can continue to make you guys love this fic! :)

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**Chapter Two**

Maya has forgotten how good a hot shower can feel, months of being kept in captivity in a dark, dusty room can do that to you. But there is something about the way Emily's shower head beats the hot water into her back that makes her feel like she is washing it all away. With every scrub of the washcloth, she can feel it all washing away, all the secrets, the lies, the past few months with her kidnapper. But no matter how much she scrubs, she can't help but feel dirty.

Dirty because she did not tell Emily what she knew before –A- came after her, because her girlfriend thought for _months_ that she was dead. She can only imagine what that was like for her, how _hard_ that much had been to deal with. Because it was just as hard for her to be in that room, tied up, knowing that her girlfriend was going on with her life not knowing just how much danger she was in.

Staring at herself in the mirror, wrapped in a white towel, Maya almost does not recognize herself. The gash on her temple had been bandaged from the first aid kit in the medicine cabinet but the other injuries on her body are not quite taken care of. Her body is bruised and broken; there are scars from the attacks, from –A- and from the boy at True North who managed to somehow been in this whole –A- business. She can feel her stomach churn with disgust when she stares at how hideous she is. How could Emily _want_ something like this? How could she still _love_ her knowing what she has been through? Shaking her head softly, she can feel her fists bawling at her sides in anger. They should have _left_ her there, Emily would have been better off, they _all_ would have been better off.

"Hey, are you okay in there? You've been in there a long time," Emily speaks from the other side of the door, knocking softly. Closing her eyes, Maya tries to blink back the tears that burn in her auburn eyes. She does not want Emily to see her like this, like the mess that she _truly_ is.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I'm almost done," Maya stutters, picking up the pair of ball shorts Emily had offered her and sliding them over her body. She cringes when they slide over the gashes on her legs and a thick lump appears in her throat when the memories crash into her about exactly how they had gotten there. -A- swore that she would pay if she ever tried to escape, as it turns out; -A- takes her threats very seriously. Sighing, she grabs the white tank, sliding it over her body with a grumbling groan. She feels like someone has beat her with bricks and she rolls her eyes softly, maybe it wasn't bricks, but it sure as hell hurt like it was.

Reaching for the knob, she opens the door, stepping out slowly to find Emily stretched out on her bed, flipping through the television channels. She smirks silently, watching her lovingly. She has missed this, just _watching_ Emily. Because there are so many little things that she has does that takes her breath away, just like now. She wonders if she knows how truly beautiful she is. Her eyes scan around Emily's room, not much has changed since the last time she was in here, the bed is still the same, she smirks at the memories they certainly _made_ in it. She has to give Pam credit, she is not one to change things and right now, that is oddly comforting.

"Hi," Emily smiles breathlessly at the girl and Maya can feel the blush curling within her cheeks. She has been through her selection of girls and boys in her lifetime but _none_ of them ever made her feel the way that Emily did _none_ of them ever made her heart race or her palms grow clammy or her stomach flip the way that Emily did when she kissed her. There is something about Emily Fields that Maya just can't shake, and honestly, she is not so sure that she wants to.

"Sorry, I took so long. I just haven't showered since… you know…" Maya trails off with a pained smile and Emily nods empathetically. Even though they have only been together for a few hours, it seems much longer than that. It is like they have spent years together, every summer, every fall, every passing moment. When they are together, it is like they were never apart, as if nothing had ever happened- but it _had_.

Maya _had _been kidnapped by someone who thought that she knew too much, she _had_ been tortured for weeks on end; she _had_ been gone for months. Months in which Emily Fields had moved on to Paige, the girl who told her stories about old man butt's just to make her laugh, the girl who had been patient during the grieving process. Maya had been gone, and now that she is back, Emily's entire world seems to be changing.

There is so much she wants to say to her, so much that she wanted to tell her that she feels like she could talk for hours but she knows that isn't what Maya needs. She can tell by the way that she is slightly sulking away from her now that the captivity has done something to do her; it has _broken_ something that made her the free spirit bad-ass she had been before. And as much as Emily does not want to admit it, she can't help but feel like some of it is her fault.

"You can sit down if you want," Emily smiles, gesturing to the bed and Maya blushes with a quiet nod, obviously embarrassed from her lack of attention she had been paying. Emily can't help but watch Maya walk, the way that she sashays her hips with every step she takes. Maya had been her first, at least, what she considers to be her first, it had been magical and _amazing_ and watching her walk around in her clothes just reminded her of how perfect it had truly been.

Smiling, Maya sits on the bed in front of Emily. And like so many times before, the swimming star scoots closer to her, gently squeezing her shoulders in comfort.

"I'm glad you came with us," Emily whispers, her nails gently scratching against Maya's back. But what she can't see is how the girl is cringing; the scars on her back are deep and painful, just like the memories that haunt her every time she closes her eyes. But she had to _protect_ Emily and _nothing_ was going to stop her from doing just that.

"I shouldn't have. She'll come for you. She promised she would," Maya sighs, glancing over her shoulder at Emily who looks at her with worriment etched on her face. There is so much about Maya that Emily does not understand, especially during the past few months of her life, but she wishes that she could. Whatever happened at Noel Kahn's cabin had changed Maya and she wishes that she could bring her the comfort she needs.

"Maya, nothing is going to hurt us now. We're together. We will protect you. We have been dealing with –A- for a while now. At first we thought it was Mona but…"

"It's not Mona," Maya replies with a throaty chuckle, her hands fidgeting with the bottom of her shorts. Swallowing, Emily nods her head as she begins to massage her back, her fingers soft and cool against Maya's skin, so much so that the smaller woman practically purrs in happiness.

"We figured that out after she got locked up in the psych ward and we kept getting the texts. They were pretty quiet at first, and we thought we had won. When we were getting them, they were stupid ones like show me your boobs," Emily jokes with a laugh and Maya glares at her rather scolding, "b-but I didn't. Show them my boobs. I promise." At this, Maya smiles a little before she returns to staring down at the shorts.

"I am sorry that…" Emily exhales loudly, licking her lips as tears flush in her eyes. How was she supposed to say this? How was she supposed to tell Maya that it was her fault that she was kidnapped? That it was her fault that she was tortured? And during that time instead of looking for her, she believed the police and thought she was dead, and moved into Paige's arms. How is _anyone_ supposed to tell someone something like that?

"You shouldn't have gotten involved with –A-. It was my fault. Whoever they are, it's targeting us and you shouldn't have gotten involved with that. I don't know how or why but…" However, Maya interrupts her.

"I was protecting _you_, Emily. Because that is what you do to the people you love, you protect them, and you keep them from harm. I didn't know that you guys were getting those texts, I… I had a feeling you might have been though. And I just… I had to keep you safe. And I did what I had to do to make sure that nothing bad ever happened to you. Maybe that was wrong but when it comes down to being wrong, or making sure that you're safe, I'll be wrong every time," Maya breathes, squeezing her legs with a sigh as Emily's nails drape down her back slowly, "and now you're in even more danger. You don't know what she is capable of, Emily."

"-A- is capable of making me think that _the love of my life_ was dead for _months_. I know what they are capable of. They made my life a living _hell_. I almost died too when I lost you. But Spencer and the girls, they… they really helped and then Paige…" Emily trails off when she notices Maya cringe with a growl in the back of her throat. Perhaps now is not the best time to tell her about Paige. Sighing, Emily places a kiss upon Maya's shoulder, massaging her back firmly.

"You don't know what it was like there. Always being afraid. Thinking that you were going to die there and nobody would even notice," Maya trails off, slowly standing as she runs her fingers through her hair, looking back at Emily, who watches her with teary eyes, "But I would have. For _you_." The statement shatters Emily to the core as a new flood of tears begin to spill down her cheeks. She knows it is true, Maya _would_ have died for her and the fact that someone thought that much of her made her heart swell with love.

For a moment, there are no words said, the two just simply look at each other, their eyes getting lost in one another. For a moment, it is as if nothing has changed, like Maya just snuck over to Emily's house in the middle of the night for a sleep over like old times. For a moment, there is no –A-, there is nothing to fear, but simply each other.

"Can I… I mean… do you have some ice cream or something? I'm hungry," Maya asks, biting her bottom lip as she sways nervously. Maya's never been the nervous type, Emily grins with a nod of her head, slowly pushing herself off the bed.

"We have Rocky Road."

"Oh, that's my…"

"_Favorite_!" The girls say in unison and Maya instantly blushes with a giggle. She has forgotten how in sync she and Emily had been before the abduction, how Emily had been the only one to see her as more than just a pot smoking free spirit, but as a loving, breathing, _woman_.

Smiling, Maya notices Emily hold her hand out, palm turned up as she reaches for her own hand. It is only natural when Maya places her hand within hers, their fingers instantly lacing together. Grinning, Emily places a kiss upon Maya's cheek before she pulls her behind her and down the stairs, both of them trying so desperately to forget the reality of their situation.

* * *

If you had told Maya St. Germain that she would be sitting on her girlfriend's front porch eating ice cream a few weeks ago, she probably would have laughed in your face. If you had told her that back when she was in California, she would have laughed even _harder_. But right now, there has never been anything more comforting in her life than sitting on those steps with Emily, her spoon deep in the Rocky Road ice cream.

It is easy with Emily, comfortable, _right. _Being with her almost makes her forget all the bad things that had to happen to her, like getting sent to True North, the stalker, the kidnapping. Sitting here, with her knees pulled up to her chest eating ice cream, may be something simple, an everyday task, but for Maya right now, it is _everything_.

The two shares a tender smile as Maya places another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, absently trying to forget the memories that haunt her. Quietly, she watches as Emily's hand slides onto her knee, giving her a reassuring squeeze, trying to pull her out of her darkened thoughts. Emily Fields, a swimmer, one that is certainly anything _but_ Maya's type, has always had a way with her, a way that calms her, every time.

"I really missed you when I was out there," Maya sighs, sitting her ice cream down to look at Emily with her gentle and pleading eyes, "I didn't know if I'd see you again and I could think about was the last time I saw you and how mean I was to you…I just…"

"No, you don't have to explain," Emily exclaims but Maya shakes her head sternly.

"You're wrong. You see, I do have to explain. Because if I don't, you're going to always have that memory in your head of me being this monstrous bitch to you the last time you saw me but that's not… that's not why I did that. I was trying to… I was trying to save you," Maya sighs, looking down at her hands that are worn from her long journey. There is a persistent lump in her throat that is sticking every time she looks at her girlfriend along with a fresh film of tears forming in her eyes. There is so much that Maya wants to tell Emily, but yet there is so much that she knows she will never be able to.

"I knew that -A- would be coming after me, a-after you. I wanted us to run away to San Francisco, I wanted us to get far away from Rosewood, from this stupid hell hole that seems to suck up all the life in it. I wanted you to come with me, come _after_ me. But you… you didn't," Maya exhales, reaching for her ice cream, swirling her spoon around the frozen desert, "which was surprising. Because I always thought you'd be the one to run after the girl, but that's beside the point. I just wanted to keep you safe. And I failed at doing my job."

"Maya…"

"I mean, I didn't save you from –A-, I didn't protect you. All I did was get myself locked up and tortured and let you go on thinking that I was dead for _months_," Maya stops with a chuckle, rolling her eyes, "I'm like, the worst girlfriend ever. Pam was so right not to like me." With another loud exhale, she hangs her head in defeat. But Emily shakes her head, gently leaning over to cup Maya's face in her hands as she pulls her in for a hard kiss.

And for those few seconds, just like all the times before, the world just _stops_.

Pulling away slightly, Emily looks deep into Maya's dark brown eyes, the eyes where she saw the best part of _her_, where she saw the rest of their lives _together_.

"You saved me. You were so brave, Maya. I can't even imagine what you went through and you _survived_. Your death taught me a lot of things. Good and bad. But it taught me to never take a single second for granted. You may not have defeated –A- and that's okay, but we'll deal with that. But you… you came _back_. You came back for me. You lived for me. And now you're here and everything is… is different. Brand new. You're not the worst girlfriend, you're… you're the _best_. Like, ever," Emily laughs with a smile, leaning closer to her girlfriend. It still takes her by surprise at how, even after all the months apart; the two of them can still fall back together as if nothing has ever happened.

"Em, you have to listen to me. She's… she's going to come _after_ you. And you might…"

"I'll _handle_ it. We will handle it. Together. Okay? Stop worrying," Emily promises, caressing Maya's cheek affectionately. The smaller girl smiles a little, leaning into her touch. Despite everything they have been through, she still gets butterflies when Emily looks at her like that.

"I'll always worry about you. It's kind of my job," Maya teases with a warm smile and Emily can't stop the grin from curling on her lips as well. Wrapping her arms around her tenderly, she kisses her soft and slow, their lips colliding together in the most delicate dance. Maya groans quietly, wrapping her arms around Emily's neck to pull her in harder against her, their kiss deepening. God, she loves the way Emily moves against her, the way that she tastes, the way that with every meet of their bodies she lights that fire of passion in the bit of her stomach all over again.

Grinning against her, Emily nips at Maya's lips playfully which is met by the girl's tongue sliding over her lips slowly. Grunting, Maya presses herself harder and harder against Emily until something, or rather, _someone_ interrupts them.

"Emily," The voice sounds distant but incredibly upset. Instantly, Emily pulls away, her eyes darting across the street where a visibly upset Paige McCullers stands, her hands in her pockets and her mouth slightly ajar from the scene she just witnessed. Emily's lips move for words to escape, however, none leave her, instead she just sits and stares at Paige, who is staring tearfully back at the two of them. And then, in an instant, she is gone, storming down the street away from them.

"Who was that?" Maya asks with a wrinkled brow. Emily looks back at her girlfriend when suddenly; the vibration from her phone catches her off guard. Sighing, she reaches in her pocket, pulling out the offending item as she clicks **Read** on the message she just received. Staring back up at her is a text from the one person she _never_ wants to see a text from.

**You don't want to play games with me, Em. I **_**always**_** win.-A-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Sky's Still Blue

Summary: Hanna and Emily find something, or rather_-someone_ else in the Kahn's cabin that night. Turns out, in Rosewood death is just a five letter word, and this –A- certainly isn't playing scrabble.

Pairing: Emily/Maya, implied Hanna/Caleb, Aria/Ezra and Spencer/Toby

**Author's Note: **Again, I want to thank everyone for their continuous support for this story. I want to stick true to what happened in the latter half of this season but I'm throwing in my own twists as well, such as a pretty big reveal in this chapter. Mainly, this story has just been built on my own looming suspicion about Maya and a certain liar being involved. I hope you guys continue to love this fic, your feedback gets me through the hardest parts!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

It is not that Maya St. Germain has always been an insecure person, because in all honesty, she had continuously been anything but. After all, _she_ had been the one who kissed Emily that night in the photo booth, she had been the one who stood in the middle of the street and proclaimed that she would wait for Emily no matter how long it took, she was the one who climbed into her room, who made her own bedroom like a pool for the girl. In fact, insecurity had been a word that was not used very often in Maya's language, unless, of course, she was talking about someone else.

However, when it comes to Emily's friends, she does not exactly feel like she is up to par with the girls. After all, Spencer, Aria and Hanna are the ones who was there for her when they all thought she was 'dead', and they had been the ones who were all bond together by the secrets of -A-. Even when their friendship had been strained, the girls had _always_ stuck together and they hadn't _always_ been so approving of their relationship.

And she is sure with the 'not being dead but letting Emily think she was' thing certainly is not going to win her any favors with the group.

When Emily suggested that she should call the girls and let them in on the secret about Maya, and the most recent text, Maya felt her stomach plummet. They are not supposed to know that she is alive, just like Emily is not supposed to know. They will all ask her a million questions, questions about her kidnapping, about -A-, about why she hadn't escaped sooner and in all honesty, she really does not want to answer those questions. She does not want to because she knows they will never understand; they will _never_, even in their worst nightmares, understand what happened in that cabin.

Swallowing hard, she clenches her eyes tightly shut, digging her nails into her jeans. The scenes still race through her brain as if they just happened, she can still _see_, _feel_, _smell_ everything that happened in there. She can still feel the belt against her body, she can smell the scent of burning flesh from the cigarette lighter, and she can still see that stupid black body suit looming before her like something straight out of a horror movie. Her stomach churns when she runs her thumb over the crescent shaped scar on the inside of her wrist from the lighter. God, she is so _disgusting_.

The girls are right to _hate_ her. Her body is broken, much like her soul, and in all frankness, Maya is not quite sure that she will ever be _whole_ again.

Sucking in a breath, the cry tickles in the back of her throat but she refuses to allow it to escape. She refuses to cry because of some jealous psycho. She _has_ to be strong, if not for herself, but for Emily. These people have tormented her for years; they are the same people who lied to her about the fact that her girlfriend had been murdered. They are the people who made her life a living hell, so much so that she had to sleep with one eye open. And Maya will be damned if she does not try to avenge that, more for Emily than _anything_ else.

She has to stop -A-, she has to go back to that cabin; she has to do _something_, _anything_ that might remotely fix this for Emily. She has to _protect_ her; even if that means that she has to give her own life in the process. Because when it comes to Emily Fields, well, there is nothing that is more important. Not even herself.

"Are you sure I look okay?" Emily asks, nervously fidgeting with her hair in front of her floor length mirror. It is a nervous habit that she does, the whole last minute panic thing, and the absolute insisting that her hair is a mess. God, Maya smiles softly watching her with dotting eyes, she has forgotten just how much she has missed this.

"You look beautiful. In fact, you look even _more_ beautiful than you did the last time you asked two seconds ago," Maya teases with a gentle smile and Emily blushes, turning back to the face the girl who sits rather awkwardly on her bed. She can still recall the night that she found out Maya had been 'murdered', she can still see the mourning in her mother's eyes when she told her that they found a body, _Maya's_ body, she can still feel Spencer's strong arms around her, holding her upright. She can still remember the day that her entire world just _stopped_ because she sees it every time that she looks at Maya's traumatized face.

"You're biased," Emily replies with a playful chuckle and Maya shakes her head softly.

"Not really. I just know a beautiful girl when I see one," She replies with a tender smile and Emily blushes harder, swaying anxiously back and forth. "Emily, you really don't…. I thought that I would never…. I thought that I would never see you again. When I was in there, I kept… I kept thinking about you, about your face and I made this stupid deal about how… how if I got out of there…. if I got out of that place and I got to see your face…. I promised that if I got another chance I would never screw up again… that I'd treat you like the princess you are and now I can't even…"

"Maya, stop. We talked about this. And I told you that you don't have anything to feel bad about. Spence, Hanna, Aria and I, we've… we've been dealing with -A- for years now, and we are big girls, we can take care of ourselves. You did save me, you saved me by coming back," Emily states, walking over to her girlfriend as she gently places her thumb under her chin, lifting it up so that their eyes can meet. She smiles instantly when she finds herself staring into those all too familiar hooded eyes, the place where she saw her entire future.

"I wanted to die when you were gone. I…I almost did and I am just so thankful you are back. So please, enough of this martyr thing. You saved me. And you're saving me now. I love you, Maya. Like I…" Emily sucks in a breath as she gently laces her fingers with her own, "I'm _in love_ with you, Maya." Emily whispers, her lips just centimeters from her lips. Just as Maya is about to reply, however, the shrill of Emily's doorbell interrupts the two girls.

Instantly Maya jumps at the sudden, loud noise, her heart racing quicker, her palms suddenly growing sweaty and the coldest chill bumps erupting up her back. Yet, just as quick as the panic sat in, so does the realization that it _is_ simply just the _doorbell_. Smiling apologetically, Emily pushes herself off the bed, holding her hand out for Maya.

"Em, I don't think… I don't think this is such a good idea," Maya sighs, shifting rather uncomfortably and Emily looks at her bewildered.

"They can help us. Help you. They are my friends. Trust me; it's going to be okay," Emily smiles softly, taking Maya's hand in hers as she leads her down the stairs. There is just something about the way that her hand fits in hers that just makes her heart want to skip a beat. It is like they _belong_, like they are _made for each other_.

"Yeah, as okay as a walking zombie who just resurfaced from the dead," Maya chortles with a roll of her eyes and Emily laughs, elbowing the smaller girl playfully in the ribs. Stopping in front of the door, the swimmer turns to her, sharing an affectionate gaze with her. She knows this moment will change everything; it will change her friendships with the women standing on the other side of the door, it will change her game with –A- but mostly it will change her relationship with _Maya_.

Giving her girlfriend an encouraging nod, Emily sighs before she opens the door to find three, not so happy, girls standing on her doorstep.

"Grandma, do you have your hearing aid turned up?! That was the doorbell, not the oven bell!" Spencer yells teasingly and Emily laughs in a giggling titter, the kind of sound that makes Maya's heart flutter. Smiling, Emily opens the door wider as she takes a step to her side so the girls can enter.

"Sorry, I just needed to give us a little pep talk," Emily states, carefully placing herself in front of Maya so that the others couldn't see her. She was not sure if Hanna had spilled the beans about her girlfriend being back from the dead, but from the smirk playing upon her lips, she is sure that she didn't.

"Us? What? Do you have like a mouse in here or something?" Aria asks with a wrinkled brow.

"Oh, I know! You sing to the birds and animals while you do your chores, don't you? Here, let's see if I can do it!" Spencer exclaims playfully, puckering her lips as she whistles the eerie tone exchanged in _The Hunger Games_ movie. However, the house is silent, that is, except for Emily's giggling.

"Hmm. Either you don't have mocking jays in here or you were just murdered by some dude so that he can eat for like, another year or whatever," Spencer grumbles with a roll of her eyes and suddenly, all three of the girls are looking at their friend rather suspiciously and Spencer shrugs, "what? Toby wanted to watch it, personally I think he just has this attraction to Jennifer Lawrence and doesn't want to say anything because he's afraid I'll freak out or something and…"

"Stay away from Toby," Maya demands, stepping out from behind Emily and suddenly, the entire room falls _silent_. Instantaneously, both Aria and Spencer share puzzled looks with one another, glancing back at Hanna, then to Emily, before their eyes land hard on Maya's once more. There is something inside of Maya that makes her stomach churn, something about this whole…. Situation that makes her uneasy, and the way the two of them are staring her down is certainly _not_ helping.

"Excuse me for being, I don't know, blunt here, but you… you died," Aria states. Maya feels like she is staring at her like she has just rose from the dead, and when the realization sits in that she actually _had_, she finds herself wanting to burst out in laughter.

"We were _there_. We saw your body. My mother is defending Garrett in court because he is charged for your murder. I saw the medical records myself. You died due to a blunt force trauma to your head, you are, in all counts, _dead_," Spencer exclaims, shaking her head as she takes a precarious step toward the smaller woman, "so, how are you here? How are you standing _right_ here, in Emily's foyer, telling _me_ to stay away from _my_ boyfriend?" Her voice has suddenly taken on an acidy tone and Maya cringes from behind Emily when she hears it.

"We found her in Noel's cabin. –A- had kidnapped her and tied her up. We don't know how long she'd been there. Days… weeks… months," Hanna sighs sadly, her emerald eyes looking up at Maya with the utmost sympathy and compassion written upon her porcelain face.

"-A- had her gagged and blind folded, she didn't see much. –A- must have faked her death to screw with me, with _all of us_. But she's not dead. She's alive. Very much alive, breathing, talking, _living_. I don't know how or why, or what is even going on but she's here now and she could be our missing link to solving this whole –A- thing and moving on from our lives. Cause for once, I don't want to nearly have a heart attack when my phone rings," Emily explains but neither Aria nor Spencer seem to be having any of it.

"Wait, so…. Wait… you _knew_ she was alive and you didn't think you should, oh, I don't know, tell us?" Aria asks, gesturing her hands about as she puffs out her cheeks at the end of the question in that all too cute way that makes everyone smile.

"Yeah, Emily. You should have _told_ us. This affects us too. I mean, -A- is going to be gunning for us now. You could have told us to watch our backs instead of sucking face with your girlfriend, oh, I mean, your other girlfriend cause…"

"Oh shut up, Spencer!" Emily groans in annoyance, twisting her fingers through her hair as she tugs it hard, "if this was you, you wouldn't tell any of us that Toby was back until you got your alone time with him and that is _all_ I wanted. I wanted to hold her and kiss her and feel her and just _be with her_. Losing her was hell for me and you know that, now she is back and my life is whole again. It's _better_. So shut up, shut up about this whole bros before hoes crap because it got threw out the window the night you blew _me_ off to hang out with Toby. The _reason_ I invited you guys over tonight was because I thought you wanted to work on this whole –A- thing and maybe spend some time with Maya cause you guys are supposed to be _friends_ too but I wasn't aware that it was going to cause _some_ of you to freak out like that." And for the following moments, the most eerie silence falls over the house until finally, Spencer sighs.

"You're right. You're… you're totally right. I am sorry. I've just been on edge lately. Toby took off tonight and I have no idea where he is and everything is a mess. And Maya is back and I'm happy for you, Em. I really, _really_ am but I just feel like we dug ourselves into a big hole. A big freakin' hole that –A- is going to fill with worms and snakes and everything else creepy," Spencer exclaims, shifting her weight anxiously before her eyes land on Maya and she smiles a little.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Maya," Spencer smiles softly and the smaller woman simply nods. Spencer Hastings is much like a book, she has a hard cover, but once you start to turn the pages, she is quite easy to read. And Maya knows that Spencer is anything _but_ happy about this situation.

"Really! I am too! I missed you so much. Now I have someone who can teach me the proper hipster fashion since my boyfriend thinks it's the coolest thing since like, ice cream or something. Come give me a hug," Aria chuckles, holding her arms out as she steps toward the girl, wrapping her in the tightest hug. Maya laughs nervously, patting Aria's back before she steps away from her, shoving her hands in her back pockets.

"I just… um… I just wanted to thank you guys for being there for Emily. I know this whole… thing has been really hard for her and you were there for her when I couldn't be and I really… really appreciate that," Maya states, biting her bottom lip apprehensively and the girls, somehow, all nod in unison.

"Friends stick together, right?" Spencer states with a smirk and someway, Maya knows that it is meant for her, that it is meant to say that she would never be a part of the group, that she would never be _her_ _friend_.

"Right," Maya exclaims with a straight face, much like the one Spencer is wearing. Smiling at the two of them, Emily reaches over as she laces her fingers within Maya's and proceeds to lead the girls into the living room. It is a lot like clockwork the way that she and Maya take the love seat, the way Hanna flops down in the lazy boy, spilling her legs over the sides and the way that Spencer and Aria sit on the sofa, Aria instantly grabbing the fashion magazine on the coffee table. It is like nothing had ever changed, as if Maya had never gone away, but unfortunately, things _had_ changed, dramatically.

"-A- told Maya that she would come after me, after us if she ever left. And then earlier, we were sitting on the porch and I kissed her and Paige… saw. And then I got a text telling me not to play games cause she always wins," Emily explains, reaching the girls her phone as they each glance at the text curiously.

"So, you're thinking –A- might be Paige?" Hanna asks in confusion and Emily shrugs with a sigh.

"I honestly don't think so. I mean, there is always the possibility that –A- could be anyone, even one of us. But I don't think she is. Paige is just…. Going through a lot and I'm sure this didn't help her. I think… I think –A- is someone we're close to, someone we wouldn't expect, someone who can make our lives hell. I don't trust any of us being alone now, especially after what happened to Maya," Emily sighs, squeezing Maya's knee reassuringly and the girls all seem to nod, all, except, for Spencer.

"So, -A- had you this whole time and you're telling me you don't know who it is?" Spencer pushes and Emily instantly glares at her. Sometimes the Hastings stubbornness can be a good quality to have, especially when you _really_ want something, but now, the tension that hangs in the air lets Emily know this is anything but _good stubbornness_.

"We just went over this, Spence. She couldn't see anything!" Emily exclaims.

"That doesn't mean she couldn't listen, or feel, or smell, Emily! I just think it's weird that she was kidnapped for _months_ and she can't even tell us who had her! She _has_ to know!" Spencer snaps, gesturing her hands dramatically as her eyes meet Maya's, "do you realize we're all in danger here? –A- has been after us for _months_ now. She has taken _everything _from us and you… you could tell us who –A- is, you could put an end to all this."

"I don't know who it is, Spencer," Maya states.

"You do."

"I don't."

"You have to!"

"I can't remember!"

"Just think, damn it! WHO is it?!" Spencer exclaims and the acid in her voice is just _enough_ to send Maya tumbling over the edge she had teetered on.

"You want to hear the truth? Fine. Here it is. Spencer, you think you have this whole thing figured out, don't you? Oh, maybe it's Melissa or Ian, or hell, even Paige. Because your Mommy is a hot shot lawyer and your daddy is a successful business person and oh, you're just oh so smart and genius. But newsflash, you don't know. You don't know _anything_. You don't know what it is like to be in that cabin! You don't know what it is like living each second wondering if it is your last one, wondering what Emily is doing, how she is, what she was told. You don't know what it is like to be hit _time_ and _time _again because you wouldn't do what you were asked. You don't know what is like to smell your own flesh burning because you smarted off to that monster. You don't know what it is like to be dying every single second of your life and the only thing you want to do is see the love of your life. You don't know anything about what it was like for me up there because if you did, you'd understand why I would want to push it from my memory!" Maya yells, the tears spilling down her cheeks, creating a river of pouring emotion that suddenly exposes her very raw self to the women around her.

"You think that you know what you're doing, what you're getting yourself into but you don't! So, stop! Run away! Get as far away from Rosewood as you can and never come back, ever! You don't know, Spencer. You don't!" Maya cries a heart wrenching sob that is just enough to prick tears in everyone's eyes. Choking on her own cry, Emily wraps her arms around Maya, pulling her into her as her glides glide along her back reassuringly.

"You think you know who –A- is but you don't. You have _no_ idea because if you did, you'd certainly be watching your back about who hang out with and who ends up in your bed," Maya grumbles under her breath and Spencer shakes her head, her brown hair coming forward to shade her face slightly.

"What do you mean?" Aria asks, her hand resting upon Spencer's knee in a soft squeeze.

"Just stay away from Toby. All of you. I'm telling you for your own good," Maya sniffles, pushing herself up out of the sofa, a movement that Emily soon mimics, her hand resting on her back softly. The smaller girl takes a few steps toward the stairs; however, Spencer's hand around her wrist stops her immediately. Twirling her around, Maya is not so surprised when she finds Spencer's practically flaming eyes staring holes into hers.

"What do you mean by that?" Spencer asks and Maya shrugs coyly.

"I don't know, Spencer. Shouldn't you know by now? I mean, you're _really_ good at figuring out stuff, huh? You're the one who the photos, the videos and my medical files. And let's add on your years of AP Biology, media classes, and the fact that your mother is the best lawyer in this town. You really had it all right there in front of you, didn't you? But you didn't say a word," Maya states, her eyes glaring at Spencer's but the lacrosse player seems to be unyielding in her scowl toward her. Powerfully, she takes another step closer to Maya, the disapproval clear upon her face.

"What is she talking about, Spencer?" Hanna's voice is distant in the background.

"_What_ do you mean about staying away from Toby?" Spencer demands. Emily sighs, squeezing her hand around Maya's shoulder as she pulls her away from her fuming best friend and closer to her, just for safety. It is not that she thinks Maya can't hold her own with Spencer, because she is sure that she could, but after everything she has been through, she is sure this confrontation is not what she needs.

"We should go to our room, Maya," Emily coaxes.

"Spencer," Aria calls out to the taller girl, curious to her answer to Hanna's question that all seems to be but lost to the wind at this point.

"Maya!" Spencer practically yells and Maya shakes her head with a grunt, pushing herself out of Emily's arms and towards Spencer's. She pushes herself with so much force; in fact Emily almost swears for a second, she can see Spencer tumbling backward from the movement.

"Let's just say Toby Cavanaugh is _not_ the guy everyone thinks he is," Maya snorts with a hard roll of her eyes before she cocks her head to the side, a look of pure disgust painted on her beautiful face before she lets out a hot breath, just enough to make Emily's blood run cold.

"But then I'd guess you'd know a thing or two about that wouldn't you, Spence?" Maya states, taking a step back as she laces her fingers around Emily's before she squeezes them reassuringly. The two lovers share a tender gaze before she glances back at the brunette who is practically scowling at her by this point.

"I mean, after all, who lets their best friend think that her girlfriend is dead for months when they know she isn't? And what type of 'best friend' doesn't send help for her when she knows _exactly_ where she is? Oh, right. I guess that'd be you, huh, Spence?" Maya exclaims.

"Wait, what?!" Emily yells, her heart plummeting to the bottom of her feet. Suddenly, all eyes dart from Maya's tear filled face to Spencer's that suddenly has been drained of all color. There is something inside of Emily that just _snaps_, something that makes her stomach tighten and her fist begins to form at her side. For the past few months, Emily has gotten herself used to betrayal but this type of betrayal, from her _best friend_ is just too much to bear.

However, when Emily opens her mouth to say something, she is interrupted by that all too familiar buzzing of four phones going off simultaneously. Holding her breath, she pulls out her phone, looking between the girls before she glances down at the phone, giving Maya's hand another hard squeeze.

**Deceit. Looks like I win again, bitches. -A-**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Sky's Still Blue

Summary: Hanna and Emily find something, or rather_-someone_ else in the Kahn's cabin that night. Turns out, in Rosewood death is just a five letter word, and this –A- certainly isn't playing scrabble.

Pairing: Emily/Maya, implied Hanna/Caleb, Aria/Ezra and Spencer/Toby

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who is showing support for this story, it means so much! At this point, I think I am going to venture the story away from the show just for a bit, because we have Spencer and Maya, who obviously have some type of past and I'd love to divulge into that! There will still be some similarities, like the last scene of this chapter, but overall, I'm going to try to do something entirely different and I hope you enjoy it!

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**Chapter Four **

It feels like someone has ripped her heart out with icy cold hands, threw it down on the ground and proceeded to do the cha-cha on top of it. It is like she is living in a snow globe and someone just took her entire world, turned it upside down, and gave it a really _hard_ shake. After the past year of -A-'s never ending torment, Emily Fields should be used to her world being turned upside down, she should be used to those sickening twists that makes her rethink every decision she has ever made in her life. But today, this moment right here, with Spencer Hastings standing in her living room practically glaring holes in her not-so-dead love, Emily just isn't sure about anything anymore.

She is sick to her stomach, bile rising in her throat, tears crowding within her dark eyes. It is like her entire world is spinning faster, faster, _faster_ around her. How could this be happening? How could the person that she trusted perhaps the most in the world betray her like this? Spencer _saw_ the pain; Spencer was the one who held her when they all found out about the dead body. Spencer is the one who held her as she cried every night, the one who brought her food, and the one who had been working so diligently to find justice for Maya's killer.

Spencer is the one who had been there _every_ day and she _knew_.

She knew Maya was _alive_.

It just doesn't make sense. How could she not have told her? How could she have seen her aching as badly as she was and not breathe a word about it to her? How could she have _known? _Clutching tightly to Maya's clammy hand, Emily looks around at her three best friends, the three people who suddenly have every opportunity in the world to betray here. She knew -A- was the enemy, but never in a million years could she have imagined that one of them could do something like this.

"Emily, wait, you don't… you don't understand," Spencer speaks out, breaking the uncomfortable silence of the room, the silence that speaks all too much of the reality they want to ignore. Spencer Hastings, the one who is normally strong, valiant, and well put together, is now the one who is vulnerable, distraught, and disheveled. Her entire world had been turned upside down as well with the return of Maya, but not in the way Emily had hoped.

"H-How could you… h-how could you not tell _me_?" Emily stutters, taking a stumbling step backward away from the lacrosse player, clinging tightly to Maya. Had everything in her life been a lie as well? Spencer sighs, looking at Aria and Hanna pleadingly for support, but the two friends remained still as sitting, the two just watched in horror and surprise that she could do something like this.

"It's not… it's not that I didn't want to tell you because I did, I really did…"

"But you _didn't_, Spencer. This… this whole time I've been walking around here thinking that Maya was dead. It almost _killed_ me, you knew that. You were the one who stopped me from drinking myself to death and _you_ were the one who was there almost every day when I wouldn't get out of bed because it physically hurt to go on without her. And _you_ were the one who encouraged me to move on with my life. And this whole…. This whole fucking time, you _knew_? You knew that Maya was alive and you didn't say _anything_. You didn't… you didn't tell me o-or the police… or… or anyone that could remotely help her. You just left her there!" Emily exclaims, her voice cracking as the tears spill down her cheeks softly. Quietly, Maya squeezes Emily's hand in comfort, the two of them sharing a gentle gaze.

"Emily, I couldn't! -A- said that…"

"Spencer, you left her there to die! Do you not see something wrong with that?!" Emily shouts, glaring at the young girl. Then, for a long and perhaps most defining moment in the four girls' lives, there is just silence. Silence mixed with the sound of Emily's heaving to catch a breath and sniffling, and the sound of Spencer's guilt practically screaming for forgiveness. For a long moment, there is just _painful _silence until Maya clears her throat.

"You couldn't, could you, Spencer?" Maya speaks up and instantly all heads turn to Spencer, "I mean, -A- wouldn't… you didn't have a choice, huh?"

"I swear I didn't. It killed me, every day. Every day, you have to believe me. I knew you were there and there wasn't anything I could do about it, I couldn't send in the cops or my mom, or even Emily because -A- swore that she would make me pay, m-make Toby pay. I couldn't hurt him like that," Spencer explains in a quick stutter but Maya only shakes her head with a sniffle.

"You shouldn't trust Toby," Maya states.

"Why? What do you _know_, Maya? Why do you keep saying _that_?" Spencer asks but the question, much like all things, goes ignored. Instead, Maya releases Emily's hand, sending her fingers through her mess of raven waves with a disgruntled sigh. Looking around at the four friends, Maya can't help but feel like the odd one out, when it came down to the group, the girls would do _anything_ to protect one another, despite the cost. And in this case, she was the debt that had to be paid.

"You had to protect him, I understand that. But what… what about _me_? What about what happened to me up there in that cabin, Spencer? You could have saved me, you could have stopped all of this, all of this hurt for Emily, my torture, and your o-own. You could have done something, but you didn't. You didn't do _anything_ because you're so damn blinded by Toby that you can't see what is in front of you!" Maya exclaims with a bitter chuckle and Spencer suddenly hardens, the vulnerability written on her face suddenly replaced with that of anger and hatred.

"Look, I don't understand what your problem is with Toby. Maybe you're jealous because he is with me and you're in love with him or something. Maybe you're just pissed that he's living a better life than you or whatever, but you're trying to make him the bad guy in this situation, and he's not. He's not the problem here, -A- is and…"

"Maybe her problem is that you left her in Noel Kahn's cabin to die because of Toby! Maybe her problem is that because of that guy, you let your supposed 'best friend' suffer for months thinking that the love of her life was dead. Maybe her problem isn't even with Toby, but with your fucking obsession with him and you're selfish ability to always make the problem someone else's fault instead of your own!" Emily exclaims, the acidy tone taking everyone by surprise, including Maya. She had seen Emily angry before, at her, at Pam, at the whole world sometimes, but nothing, even on the worst days of her life, compared to the type of anger she sees right now directed at Spencer. Snarling, the lacrosse player takes a powerful step toward the swimmer, but Emily doesn't budge, instead she glares back at her.

"Shut up, Emily, this doesn't concern you! This is between me and Maya!" Spencer snaps and Maya can feel Emily tense up at the rage held within Spencer's voice.

"The hell it doesn't! Maya is _my_ girlfriend!" Emily exclaims loudly.

"Really? Because you were pretty adamant last week that Paige McCullers was your girlfriend. Did you happen to forget about her or are you just too busy fucking around with Maya that you don't care that you're breaking her heart?!" Spencer returns in a sarcastic snarl. Suddenly, it is like someone punched Maya in the chest, like someone somehow stole her breath from her. Paige is Emily's _girlfriend_, she is _seeing someone else_, she _moved on_. Choking on a breath, Maya releases Emily's hand quickly as she takes a stumbling step back away from the scene. How could this be _happening_?

"Since when have you _ever_ cared about hurting someone? Or cared about someone in general? I mean, first you cared about Ali and then she died, and _you_ were the last person to see her alive. And then you cared about Ian, and he ended up dead. And now you say that you 'care'," Emily pauses with a use of air quotations, "about me but look at what you did. You don't care about people, Spencer. And if you do, all you do is hurt them. So don't play the whole 'I care about Paige' card because this is a pretty fine example of where your caring gets people!" Emily exclaims.

"Go to hell!" shouts Spencer.

"Guys!" It's Aria this time that speaks out over the acidy fighting between her two friends. Suddenly, the room grows silent as they look at the hipster girl who stands beside of Hanna, her face contorted in the pain that Spencer and Emily is sure they should be feeling right now.

"Haven't you noticed something?" Aria asks. The two bickering best friends share a confusing glance with one another before they look back at the young brunette friend. Somehow in all this madness, they have managed to lose touch with reality, lose touch with one another, with the fact that this is _exactly_ what –A- wanted from them.

"What?" Spencer asks with a wrinkled brow and a shrug of her shoulders. Hanna sighs softly, looking at Aria before her eyes flicker up to find Emily's hooded brown.

"Maya's gone." Hanna whispers and the words cut through the silence like razor blades. Frantically, Emily's eyes scan around the room that is empty before noticing the door that is standing wide open and her heart plummets to the pit of her stomach.

_Maya's gone_.

* * *

The lake house had always been Maya's safe haven, the one place she could run to when her life just was not making sense, the place where she could escape to when everything else is just falling place. The lake house had been _her_ place, hers and Emily's.

Leaning against the railing, Maya finds herself smiling when she recalls all the nights the two of them spent out here, the nights before everything went to hell. The nights when the crisp of autumn still floated through the air and the adrenaline of innocence and first love pulsed through their veins. The nights when the only thing Maya could see was Emily and vice versa. Some of the best nights of her life happened at this very lake house, with the girl that she loves the most in the world.

Like the night they made love all night long, or the night they danced under the pale moon light, or the night that they tried to bake cookies but they ended up having a food fight and forgot all about the cookies until they set off the smoke detector. However, her favorite memory above all else, had been the fourth of July they spent out here, watching the explosion of fireworks color the midnight sky and Maya couldn't help but think there was nothing more beautiful than the way the lights danced upon Emily's flawless face.

This had been _their_ place. The place where reality did not matter, the place where they got lost in one another and could spend hours just watching the water with each other. This was the place where Maya found love, found hope, found _happiness._ Standing here now, however, Maya can't help but find herself nostalgic of those days, of the days when she didn't have to worry about getting kidnapped, about -A-, but the only worry she had was about whether she was making Emily happy enough.

Now she slumps over the railing, staring out at the quiet water, the damage of her past clinging to her skin is scars and dried tears. Things are so painfully different now than they had been the last time she was here. Now, she is _bruised_, she is _broken_, and Emily has a _girlfriend_- who is not her. Now, her life is a mess and the only thing she can do to even remotely protect the love of her life is run away. But damn it, she is just tired of running.

"Maya!" Emily's voice calls out to her from the backdoor and inside, Maya can feel something just _snap_. There had been a part of her, a rather small part of course, that prayed Emily would forget about this place; a small part of her hoped that she would not find her. She is better off without her, Maya sighs as she runs her fingers over the chilling moon shape scar on the inside of her wrist, without all the drama and baggage she brings.

"You should go," Maya sniffles, trying her hardest to keep the emotion from echoing in her voice. She grips the railing tighter, so tight in fact, that her knuckles begin to turn white. The hardest thing in the world that she ever had to do was walk away from Emily that night at the party, but it had been for her own good. And even if leaving again kills her, Maya will make damn sure that she doesn't hurt Emily again, certainly not like this.

"I was so worried about you. Hanna told us that you were gone and I …" Emily's voice becomes distant in the background as Maya snorts. She hadn't even noticed that she _left_. Of course not, Maya sighs, biting her bottom lip to keep the tears at bay, why _would _she? She thought she had been dead for months; she has a new girlfriend now, why would she notice that she had not been there?

"I am sorry about what happened back there, about Spencer. You have to believe me that I had no idea that she knew. If I had known…" Emily sighs, walking toward Maya who still does not turn around but still continues to stare at the water that begins to dance with the gust of wind. "I am sorry that she didn't come for you… that _I_ didn't come for you."

"Don't apologize; it's not your fault. She was doing what she thought was best for her. I guess I would have done the same if it came between hurting someone and protecting you. And I don't want to come between the two of you. You should go back and apologize or something," Maya shrugs with a sniffle but Emily shakes her head, stepping forward to lean against the railing.

"I'm not apologizing. She should have said something, she should have come for you, and she should have _told_ me. This… changes everything. Spencer Hastings is a selfish, arrogant, spoiled…"

"She's your best friend," Maya sucks in a breath, finally breaking her eye contact with the water to look up at Emily, her eyes blood shot and pained. For a brief moment when their eyes meet, Maya suddenly finds herself falling deeper and deeper in love with Emily Fields. All her life she thought the whole soul mates thing was a cliché, a bunch of crap made up by the hallmark company but Emily had changed that for her.

Emily _is_ her soulmate. But sometimes, soul mates don't end up together.

And maybe, on some level, that is the best thing for the swimmer.

"I can't ask you to choose between me and Spencer, Em," Maya sighs, looking down at the water once more. Emily sighs, studying the girl's long face for a moment, before she steps closer, gently placing her hand on top of Maya's.

"You aren't asking me because it isn't a decision that has to be made, Maya. It's you. It will _always_ be you. I'm in love with you. Spencer will just have to deal with that," Emily states with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. Spencer had never had a problem with her sexuality before, Emily is sure that she won't now, once she learns that Maya is simply trying to protect them. Leaning closer to the quiet girl, Emily studies Maya's face; it looks entirely different now than it did this morning. Now it is much more sullen, and older, in a matter of hours, Maya St. Germain looks like she has aged twenty years.

"Yeah, and what about Paige? Where does she fit into all of this?" Maya questions and Emily sighs, tearing her eyes away from the hipster. Maya can feel the tears burning in her eyes when her heart plummets and her stomach churns in a sickening twist. _Of course_, she sniffles with a heavy sigh, Emily had _moved on_ and nothing she can say or do will change that.

"Right. That's kind of what I thought, but I didn't want to assume, but your response just answered it for me. So, you have a nice life with Paige and I'll just go off somewhere and it'll be like this never happened," Maya grumbles, pulling her hand away from Emily's. She makes a good stride toward the door, hoping this would be it, this would be the break that would ultimately save Emily's life, but however, a very tiny voice stops her in her tracks.

"I thought you were dead," Emily whispers and Maya stops, but she does not turn around. Instead she stands with her back to Emily, the tears spilling down her cheeks as she struggles to keep herself together. This is the _best thing_ she could ever do for her, doesn't she see that?

"I thought you were dead and it almost killed me. Then Spencer and the girls… they helped some. And so did my mom. They told me that I couldn't let this one moment stop me from living my life and I needed to date other people. Paige was there and she was patient, gentle and nice. She made me feel less dead inside," Emily explains and Maya can feel her stomach growing queasier. She thought nothing could hurt as bad as what happened in that cabin, but hearing Emily gush about her new girlfriend is a new pain entirely. Sucking in a breath, Maya bites on the inside of her jaw to keep the cry from escaping, she _has_ to do this, if not for herself, but for Emily.

"It's okay, Emily. Really, you don't have to explain," Maya sniffles quietly but Emily only shakes her head, taking a careful step toward the young woman even though she knows that she can't see her.

"But I do. Because, you see, even with Paige, there was still this giant hole in my life. I was never complete. Even with Paige, there was still this part of me that was dead inside, this part of me that just refused to work. I still felt _alone_. And I don't… I don't feel that way when I'm with you. You bring me back to life. You bring color to the gray area. You're the missing piece," Emily explains, her voice shaking and Maya doesn't have to see her to know that she is about to cry. This is the _hardest_ part, Maya sighs as she shoves her hands in her pockets, the painfully hardest part.

"Emily, please," Maya begs.

"Yeah, Paige, she… she saved me and she kept me alive but I don't love Paige, at least, not like I love you. Because when I'm with you, you're… you're all I see. You're _everything_. You're my one. And I watched you walk away once and I'm not going to do it again. Not because of me, or Paige, or Spencer. I'm not losing you again, Maya. Because I'm not… I'm not _me_ without you," Emily states, placing her hand on Maya's shoulder and the shorter girl flinches but then almost instantly relaxes into Emily's touch.

"I don't know what happened out there and I don't know how much you know, and I will probably never know those things. All I know is that I'm here now, _with you_ and none of the rest of it matters. Spencer will come around. I'll explain things to Paige. And we'll work this out together, just like it is meant to be. Because _we are meant to be_, Maya. There's a reason you came back and I'm not going to just stand here and watch you walk away because you think I'm in love with Paige or because you're trying to save my friendship with Spencer. You're more important than any of that, don't you know?" Emily explains and Maya lets out a shaky sigh, turning to face the dark haired girl with burning tears blistering in her eyes.

"Emily, I'm not the same girl that you fell in love with all those months ago. Things are different now. You have a girlfriend who loves you and you could have a normal life with her. With me, we're always going to be watching our backs, because not only did I escape from –A- but I … You should just go back to the house, tell them you couldn't find me. I'll be okay," Maya states but Emily shakes her head, wrapping her arms around Maya's waist, pulling her closer to her.

"I can't live without you. We can handle this –A- thing and the Spencer thing and the Paige thing as long as we're together. I'm not saying that it is going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it because _you_ are worth it. We are worth it," Emily exclaims and Maya sighs, leaning into her girlfriend's touch.

"I just want to keep you safe, Em," Maya mumbles and Emily smiles, running her fingers through Maya's curls. Sometimes when she is with her, it is like there is no one else in the world, like nothing else _matters_.

"That's noble of you, really. But this is the 21st century; girls are capable of saving themselves these days," Emily replies with a quiet laugh and Maya smiles, biting her bottom lip softly. Leaning into her girlfriend, Maya wraps her arms around her, pulling her close as she kisses her softly. Suddenly, when their lips meet, it is like the rest of the world just falls away, the reality of their situations left far behind in another world, it is like time just simply stops. Grunting softly, Emily pushes Maya against the wall to steady the two of them, kissing her deeply as her tongue quickly gets reacquainted with every crevice inside of Maya's mouth. _God_, she has forgotten just how good she tastes. However, as quick as the make out session begins, it stops, when Maya pulls away.

Perplexed, Emily studies Maya's now sullen face before the smaller girl lets out a sigh.

"Emily, there's something I need to tell you," Maya exhales, her eyes staring deep into Emily's hooded brown. Suddenly, in her pocket Emily can feel her phone vibrating but she dares not to touch it, because somehow, she knows that the words that are getting ready to come out of Maya's mouth are going to change her life forever.

For the good or for the bad? Well of that, Emily sighs as she studies Maya's pained face, she just is not quite sure.


End file.
